160. X; movie review

 

X

Cert 18

106 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong bloody violence, gore, sex, sexual threat

Blimey, the butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth Brittany Snow of Hairspray has sure grown up!

More than 15 years on from the wholesome family hit, she is starring as a potty-mouthed porn star in this very curious b-movie style feature.

Set in 1979, Ti West's picture follows a group of young people who set out to make a dirty movie at a remote Texan farm.

Little do they know that the elderly residents are psychopathic killers.

Martin Henderson plays the 'producer' who has arranged the location for a film which he believes will be a massive earner.

He has persuaded a movie-making pal (Owen Campbell) that it will put them at the forefront of a new industry specialising in porn on video tapes.

The stars are Snow's mouthy Bobby-Lynne, Mia Goth's Maxine who is desperate to be a star and the inevitable fella with the tackle (Kid Cudi).

Meanwhile, they think the old couple (Stephen Ure and a heavily made-up Goth), are blissfully unaware of what is happening on their property.

So, the first half of the movie is wall-to-wall rumpy pumpy with the odd bloody hint towards the carnage to follow.

The second half is a lesson in blood-letting in various different stomach-churning guises.

Frankly, I was never into b-movies in the first place so take-offs or spoofs of them don't really do it for me.

This one had a slightly different take which sparked some interest but much of the time I was turning my head away in disgust.

Perhaps that was the idea?

Reasons to watch: An unusual mix of porn and gore

Reasons to avoid: Isn't nearly as funny or shocking as it wants to be

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 4.5/10

Did you know? "X", refers to the X rating used by regulatory authorities from 1968-1990 and indicated that a film was only suitable for an audience 16 or older.

The final word. Ti West: "horror and porn have always had this symbiotic relationship of being outsider genres, so I thought in a slasher movie—as the lowbrow combination of sex and violence—a story about the adult film industry made sense." AV Club

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